GB2290102A

GB2290102A - Sealant removing tool

Info

Publication number: GB2290102A
Application number: GB9507059A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael John Hawkey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-06-11
Filing date: 1995-04-05
Publication date: 1995-12-13
Also published as: GB9411766D0; GB9507059D0

Abstract

A hand tool for removing excess sealant from at least one surface and having a guide-surface to control the movement of the tool across the surface. A notch or aperture is provided in the tool which defines a cross section of sealant 38 which is left behind by the tool as the tool is slid over a line of roughly applied sealant 33. The tool forms a scoop which collects excess sealant 36 as it is removed from the line of roughly applied sealant 33. An aperture is provided in the handle of the tool which may be used to seal a nozzle of an opened container of sealant or glue, and therefore prolong the life of the opened container. <IMAGE>

Description

A HAND TOOL This invention relates to a hand tool, and to a method of using the new hand tool.

Sealants are used in a very wide range of applications, both in DIY and professional markets.

They can be used for a wide range of applications including, sealing around baths, sinks and shower trays, kitchen sinks, worktops and units, internal and external door and window frames, skirting boards and floorboards. They are sold in three sizes, 70ml, 310ml & 4OOml. With the most popular size being the 310ml.

The application and nature of sealant has always been considered "messy", and even the most experienced user will end up with sealant on their hands. There are no specialised tools for the application of sealant currently available, hence this unique development.

It is the aim of the present invention to improve the process of applying sealant to join two surfaces.

According to a first aspect of the invention I provide a hand tool having a guide surface adapted to assist in controlling the movement of the hand tool when it is, in use, slid over a surface adjacent a line of sealant that has been roughly applied and is to be tidied by the hand tool, a notch or aperture which, in use, slides over sealant and defines a cross-section of sealant to be left behind by the sliding operation; the hand tool also having excess-sealant removal means which removes excess s= & ant that is not in the cross-sectional area defined in use by the path of movement of the notch or recess.

Thus the excess-sealant removal means strips unwanted sealant away from the surface being sealed, and the recess or notch leaves a controlled line of sealant behind.

Preferably the hand tool includes collector means adapted to collect and retain excess sealant scraped away by the excess-sealant removal means.

This can, in the preferred embodiment, collect excess sealant as the tool is slid along a line of roughly applied sealant, making it a cleaner, less messy operation. The user then simply wipes the collected sealant out of the collector means.

Preferably the hand tool has a first guide surface and a second guide surface at an angle to the first guide surface. This is useful when the sealant is to seal between two surfaces that meet at an angle. For example, the junction between two surfaces that meet at a right angle often needs to be sealed.

In use one guide surface is urged against one surface to be sealed, and the other guide surface is urged against the other, meeting, surface. This guides the tool to move in a single line (if the tool is also urged generally towards the join line).

Preferably the two guide surfaces are inclined to each other at, or about at, a right angle. They may be inclined relative to each other at just less than a right angle (eg 890, or 880, or the like).

Preferably the hand tool has an elongate direction, or axis. The collector means preferably comprises a reservoir space, which preferably extends in the elongate direction of the hand tool. Preferably the tool has two side walls which define the first and second guide surfaces and also define the collector means.

The hand tool is preferably moulded in plastics material. This can give it a degree of resilience and flexibility, and can help avoid chipping ceramic tiles (compared with a metal tool).

Preferably the excess-sealant removal means has a chamfered, sloping, leading edge.

The notch or recess may have chamfered, sloping, profile.

Preferably the hand tool also has a blind hole adapted to receive an extruding nozzle of a sealant-dispensing device, and adapted to engage the nozzle in a substantially air-tight seal.

Preferably the hole is tapered. The hole is preferably on the longitudinal axis of the tool.

Preferably a corner between the leading edge and a line defined at a junction of the two guide surfaces is acute. An advantage of this is that the tool can be held so that only the leading edge portions of the tool lie flat against the surfaces being sealed.

Another way of looking at the preferred embodiment of the invention is as a hand tool having a first wall, a second wall at substantially 900 to the first wall, a notch defined between the first and second walls at their leading edge, and preferably excess-sealant catchment reservoir defined by the first and second walls.

According to a second aspect of the invention I provide a method of tidying an unset line of sealant comprising sliding a tool along the line of sealant so as to leave behind a line of sealant corresponding to the profile of a recess or hole in the tool, and yet skim off excess sealant beyond that profile.

Preferably the method comprises collecting the excess sealant in a reservoir in the tool, the act of sliding the tool over the rough line of sealant urging excess sealant into the collecting reservoir.

According to a third aspect of the invention I provide a method of increasing the cross-section of the sealant left behind when using a tool in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, the method comprising creating a bigger notch or recess.

Most preferably the bigger notch or recess is created by cutting a portion of the tool away, the cut being a straight line. (Of course, the "cutting" could be with a knife, sander, or any material - removing tool).

According to a fourth aspect of the invention I provide a hand tool having a handle and nozzle sealing means provided in the handle, the nozzle sealing means being adapted, in use, to co-operate with the nozzle of a sealant dispenser, glue dispenser, or the like, so as to seal the nozzle airtight.

Thus the hand tool has a dual use, that is whatever its primary use is, plus the new nozzle sealing use. Preferably the nozzle sealing means comprises a tapering blind hole.

According to a fifth aspect the invention consists in a method of extending the storage life of an opened sealant container, glue container, or the like, that has a nozzle, comprising pushing the nozzle into the nozzle sealing means of a hand tool in accordance with the fourth invention so as to create an air-tight seal between the nozzle and the hand tool.

An example of a hand tool according to the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hand tool; Figure 2 is an illustration of the hand tool of Figure 1 in use; Figure 3 shows the hand tool of Figure 1 sealing the end of a sealant container; Figure 4 is a sectional view showing the hand tool in use; Figure 5 is a plan view of a working end of the tool; Figure 6 is a sectional view through the working end of the tool; Figure 7 is a perspective view of the hand tool in use; Figure 8 is a plan view of a handle of the hand tool; Figure 9 is a perspective view of the handle; Figure 10 is a sectional view of the handle; Figure 11 illustrates a method of modifying the working end of the tool; and Figure 12 shows details of a second embodiment of the invention.

A hand tool as illustrated in Figures 1 to 11 comprises a handle portion 2 and a scraper portion 4.

The handle portion 2 allows the user comfortably to use the tool. The tool is a single moulding from a resilient plastics material, allowing it to be mass-produced at low cost.

As can be seen in Figure 8, the handle 2 is roughly rectangular when seen in plan view. There are two generally parallel sides 6, which taper to a thinner neck portion toward the left side of Figure 8.

The scraper portion 4 is adjacent the neck portion of the tool. When viewed in cross section, as best seen in Figure 9, the shape of the handle is roughly oval.

The handle is approximately 10cm long from the neck portion 8 to an end 10. A handle of such shape and size fits comfortably into a hand of a typical user.

Figures 8 to 10 show that the handle is of a more complex arrangement toward the end 10. A uniformly tapered hole 12 is provided, as best seen in Figure 10. The hole 12 has its largest diameter at the end 10 of the handle. Walls 16 of the hole 12 taper to the end of the hole furthest from the end 10 of the handle. The shape of the hole 12 corresponds to the shape of a nozzle 18 of a sealant container 14 (shown in Figure 3).

As seen in Figures 8 and 9, two flutes 20 are provided on the underside of the handle 2. The flutes 20 run from the end of the handle toward the neck portion 8, and are substantially parallel to each other.

The scraper portion 4 extends from the neck 8.

The scraper portion 4 is approximately scoop shaped, as is best seen in Figure 5. At a forward, working, end 24 of the scraper portion there are two flat walls 25 disposed roughly perpendicularly. In the preferred embodiment the angle between them is about 880. Near to the neck 8 the flat walls begin to curve to form a scoop 26. At the forward, working, end 24 the forward leading ends of the flat walls are bevelled, as shown at 28. The two walls 25 meet at a corner edge 30. At the front a leading part of the tool is a groove or notch 32. The groove 32 is at the corner edge where the two walls 25 meet.

As can be best seen in Figure 4, the ends 31 of the walls 25 of the forward working end portion 24 are moulded to form a corner 35 which is roughly 80e with the bottom 37 of the walls 25, if the bottom 37 were extended to intersect the ends 31 of the walls 25.

The hole 12 in the handle serves two purposes. It is well known that having a large solid area in a moulded product causes problems as the moulded article cools, once it has been formed. Such large moulded areas can often suffer cracking due to different cooling rates at the surface and centre, setting up a differential contraction rate. The hole 12 ensures that no such large solid area is provided, and allows the article to cool uniformly ensuring a high quality finished product.

Secondly the hole 12 is used so that a sealant container 14 can be effectively sealed, as shown in Figure 3. The tool, that is the handle 2 of the tool, can be placed over the nozzle 18, so that the nozzle fits inside the hole 12. When the tool is used in such a manner air is prevented from entering the sealant container 14 and prevents any unused contents of the container 14 from curing. This ensures that such unused sealant is not wasted.

The flutes 20 are provided mainly to aid the cooling of the handle when it leaves the mould ensuring the quality of the product. However the flutes 20 may be of use in providing grip for the users fingers 22 as they grip the tool, ensuring that it does not slip.

The tool is used to tidy up a still-wet bead of sealant 33 which has already been applied to the corner 34 between two substantially perpendicular surfaces. The way in which the tool is intended to be used can be best seen in the Figures 2, 4 and 7.

The user grasps the handle of the tool and presses it into the corner 34 of the two perpendicular surfaces. Walls 25 are pressed against a respective vertical or horizontal surface. As is best seen in Figure 4, the tool is held at an angle so that only the ends 31 of the two walls 25 of the tool lie flat against the perpendicular surfaces. The acute angle 35 may assist in allowing this to happen. The corner 30 of the tool is in the corner of the surfaces 34. The user then moves the tool as indicated by the arrow in Figure 4, (in a direction away from his wrist) so that the bevelled edges 28 move along the bead of applied sealant 33. The bevelled edges 28 make the working edge of the tool more flexible, ensuring that it can follow the contours of the perpendicular surfaces, and assist in scraping up excess pasty sealant.As the tool is made from plastics material the perpendicular surfaces are less likely to be damaged as the surfaces are probably harder than the tool.

The groove 32 at the corner 30 of the flat surfaces 25, defines a space where no contact is made between the perpendicular surfaces and the walls 25 of the tool. As the tool moves in the direction of the arrow in Figure 4, forward excess material 36 from the bead of sealant 33 is scraped up and collected in the scoop portion and a smoothed bead 38 is left behind the tool. The waste material 36 collected in the scoop is contained away from the perpendicular surfaces, and the user's hand and fingers 22. This should result in a generally clean tidying operation. The reservoir can then easily be cleaned at intervals necessary to prevent the waste material 36 from being spilled and contaminating the perpendicular surfaces or user's hand and fingers 22.

The portion of the bead of sealant 33 which is excess is defined by the size of the groove 32. The larger the groove 32, the more sealant will be left by the tool. As can be most easily seen in Figure 11, cutting more of the corner 30 from the tool will increase the size of the groove 32. This can be achieved with a sharp instrument such as a knife.

A second embodiment of the invention can be seen in Figure 12. In this embodiment the two flat walls, equivalent to walls 25 are disposed at approximately 1800. The bevelled edges 28 are still present as is the groove 32. This tool can be used for cleaning a bead of sealant applied along a joint between two surfaces which lie substantially in the same plane. The flat walls of the tool would lie against the surfaces and remove excess material. The groove defining the amount of sealant which is left behind. There is a scoop portion which is equivalent to the scoop 26 of the first embodiment. This scoop provides the same function as the scoop of the first embodiment as herein before described.

The description of the first embodiment refers to the hole 12 in the handle of the tool. Of course a hand tool incorporating the other features of the invention but no hole in the handle could be realised.

A device with no hole in the handle could be used in the same way as the device described herein before to tidy up sealant, but could not be used to seal an opened sealant tube.

Claims

1. A hand tool having a guide surface adapted to assist in controlling the movement of the hand tool when it is, in use, slid over a surface adjacent a line of sealant that has been roughly applied and is to be tidied by the hand tool, a notch or aperture which, in use, slides over sealant and defines a cross-section of sealant to be left behind by the sliding operation; the hand tool also having excess-sealant removal means which removes excess sealant that is not in the cross-sectional area defined in use by the path of movement of the notch or recess.

2. A hand tool according to claim 1 which has collector means adapted to collect and retain excess sealant scraped away by the excess-sealant removal means.

3. A hand tool according to claim 1 or claim 2 which has a first guide surface and a second guide surface at an angle to the first guide surface.

4. A hand tool according to claim 3 in which the two guide surfaces are inclined to each other at, or about at, a right angle.

5. A hand tool according to any of claims 2 to 4 in which the collector means comprises a reservoir space which extends in an elongate direction of the hand tool.

6. A hand tool according to any preceding claim which is moulded in plastics material.

7. A hand tool according to any preceding claim in which the excess-sealant removal means has a chamfered, sloping, leading edge.

8. A hand tool according to any preceding claim which has a blind hole adapted to receive an extruding nozzle of a sealant-dispensing device, and adapted to engage the nozzle in a substantially air-tight seal.

9. A hand tool according to claim 7 in which a corner between the leading edge and a line defined at a junction of the two guide surfaces is acute.

10. A method of tidying an unset line of sealant comprising sliding a tool along the line of sealant so as to leave behind a line of sealant corresponding to the profile of a recess or hole in the tool, and yet skim off excess sealant beyond that profile.

11. A method of tidying an unset line of sealant according to claim 10 which comprises collecting the excess sealant in a reservoir in the tool, the act of sliding the tool over the rough line of sealant urging excess sealant into the collecting reservoir.

12. A method of increasing the cross section of the sealant left behind when using a tool in accordance with claim 1, the method comprising creating a bigger notch or recess.

13. A method of increasing the cross section of the sealant left behind according to claim 12 in which the bigger notch or recess is created by cutting a portion of the tool away, the cut being a straight line.

14. A hand tool having a handle and nozzle sealing means provided in the handle, the nozzle sealing means being adapted, in use, to co-operate with the nozzle of a sealant dispenser, glue dispenser, or the like, so as to seal the nozzle air tight.

15. A hand tool according to claim 14 in which the nozzle sealing means is a tapered blind hole.

16. A method of extending the storage life of an opened sealant container, glue container, or the like, that has a nozzle, comprising pushing the nozzle into nozzle sealing means of a hand tool in accordance with claim 14 so as to create an air-tight seal between the nozzle and the hand tool.

17. A hand tool substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

18. A method of using a hand tool to tidy an unset line of sealant substantially as described herein.

19. A method of using a hand tool to extend the life of an opened container substantially as described herein.